Future Plans
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St Andrew’s Methodist Church Building Project Newsletter February 2020
Dear Members and Friends of St Andrew’s, We hope that you agree with us that St Andrew’s is an important centre for the community in this part of Halifax - a warm and friendly place where people meet together – for Christian Worship as well as for many youth and activities, including women’s groups, men’s groups, older people’s community clubs, exercise and fitness groups, youth groups … and so much more! When we say that St Andrew’s is “warm and friendly” we’re mainly talking about the people – we know that the buildings aren’t always warm and friendly at the present time – there are a lot of rooms but there are a lot of problems too. We had to replace boilers in December but we are always on tenterhooks waiting for the next problem and what it might be. There are already many roof leaks that have proved impossible to trace and repair. There are changes of level which make it harder for less mobile people to get around. There is a lot of decoration and upgrading that takes time and resources. So, we are asking you to read about the scheme to demolish the buildings and replace them with a new building with up-to-date and efficient everything – construction standards, insulation, heating, easy to keep clean and well maintained. And we are asking you to help to achieve this goal – yes, you know what’s coming next! We need your money – the attached sheets describe more about the project and about how much it will cost and where that money will be coming from. Most of the money will come from other sources but we need to raise part of the cost ourselves – there’s a target of a further £160,000 to be raised locally. On the final page is a table listing ways of helping to reach this target. We ask you to think seriously about making a donation or running a fund-raising event or some of the other suggestions. We want to be a vibrant part of the community and feel that the life of St Andrew’s is very important to very many people. We therefore look forward to receiving for the Church Development Fund whatever you can give. Direct debits are particularly welcome as we can estimate better the income over the next couple of years. Yes, this is a begging letter, but we hope that when we achieve the new St Andrew’s everyone will be pleased to have made a contribution to it. With every blessing, Rev Terry Keen on behalf of the Church Council WHAT’S THE PROJECT ABOUT? The buildings at St Andrew’s Methodist Church date from 1913 and the 1960’s. Their age as well as some features of the original design and various construction flaws mean that they are outdated and not suitable for today’s needs. Buckets collect gallons of rainwater leaking in. The loss of heat (from the mainly single glazed windows and from the uninsulated walls and roofs) mean that it is very expensive to keep the buildings warm - this is bad for the environment and our children’s future. There are different levels so it’s not great for people with mobility problems. Now very major work is needed to bring the premises up to current standards and even more work would be necessary to reconfigure to be suitable for today’s needs and expectations. Two boilers have had to be replaced in recent weeks at considerable expense – just to keep the buildings ticking over. After a lot of consideration and discussion, the decision was taken by the Church Council that a complete rebuild would achieve what we need and at a considerably lower cost than a refurbishment scheme. There’s a model of the proposed scheme in Church – have a look and see what is going to happen! There will be two main rooms, a social area/café area as well as a kitchen, toilets and a number of storage areas. There will also be an outside enclosed garden/play area for use by various groups. The cost is however not inconsiderable. We have a target to raise of £1,000,000.
HOW’S IT GOING? The new build scheme has been designed by our architects Gagarin Studios. A planning application has just been submitted (November 2019) – it is hoped that planning permission will be granted early in 2020. The scheme has had approval from Calderdale Methodist Circuit. Approval from Yorkshire West District – the next level up in Methodism is also needed. A meeting with the District will take place in early February 2020. Money – we know people are interested in how close to a million we are! Well, not very close yet – so every penny we get from fund-raising events such is really important. So far in the pot we have about £40,000 raised at St Andrew’s available, plus a pledge of up to £100,000 from the Calderdale Circuit. Then we are going to sell the former caretaker’s house in Abbey Walk (off Coronation Road) - that is expected to raise approximately £130,000. So that comes to about £270,000. The church has about £130,000 held in a central Methodism account for “special projects”. Adding that in we get to about £400,000. Methodism expects the people who use the buildings to make significant contributions – we want St Andrew’s users (that’s church members and people who come to organisations who meet here) to raise £200,000. As I said we have about £40,000 of that sum already raised. There’s still £160,000 for Church members and users to raise, via fund-raising activities and donations. Everyone needs to be involved – a list of how you can help is being included in this document. When that has been raised, we will have about £560,000. Then we are hoping for about £20,000 from Yorkshire West District and at least £100,000 from the Methodist Connexion Property Office (that’s the national level of Methodism). So, if all that comes to pass that will total £730,000. The next question then is where are we going to find the rest? Applications will also be made to a whole raft of other grant-making bodies. Some give grants to churches, some only give to fund specific kinds of activity, e.g. work with young people, work with older people, work with lonely people or people with mental health problems. It will not be easy to get this amount but if we want to build the new church, we will with God’s help get there.
WHEN WILL THE BUILDING WORK START? Good question! If we had planning permission and the money in our bank account today the work couldn’t start for the most of 6 months – that’s how long it would take the detailed drawings to be prepared that the building firm would need, and to advertise, short list and appoint a building contractor and the building contractor get everything ready to start work. The work is expected to take 9 months to complete – and then there would be some fitting out to do. It could easily take a year to make other grant applications and raise the rest of the money needed – we can’t of course appoint a building contractor until we are sure we will be able to pay them. So, we will have to put up with the current leaking buildings for a while yet. We want, as far as possible, to keep activities at St Andrew’s happening while the new building is being built. When work starts, the first things that are planned to happen would be the demolition of the Moore Hall, the Disco Room where Little Monkeys and some other organisations meet, the Main Hall and the kitchen and coffee lounge. But with some work to make sure we still have toilets available, the Church and small adjoining rooms would be available until the new building is ready. Then the remainder of the old buildings would be demolished and much needed additional car parking created. Thank-you for reading this information. Please also read the How to Give Financial Support sheet. The sooner the money is raised the sooner the building can be built and the church and community organisations can continue their good work for the people of the area.
WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP? Put as much money into the Church Development Fund as you can and as quickly as you can, of course using Gift Aid if you pay Income Tax. Pray that everyone gives as they are able – and organises and attends as many fund-raising events as possible. The extra page will make suggestions as to how that can be done. As stated above £160,000 is needed to be raised locally. If you want to make a donation and need help to do so or to talk about money matters, please contact XXXXX who will be delighted to talk to you. If you want to discuss the scheme generally or offer other help please contact Rev Terry Keen (01422 257763).
HOW YOU CAN GIVE YOUR FINANCIAL SUPPORT
Charity Gift Aid Declaration – multiple donation
Gift Aid is reclaimed by the charity from the tax you pay for the current tax year. In order to Gift Aid your donation you must tick the box below:
I want to Gift Aid my donation of £ ______________ and any donations I make in the future or have made in the past 4 years to:
Name of Charity: St Andrew’s Methodist Church Development Fund
I am a UK taxpayer and understand that if I pay less Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax than the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all my donations in that tax year it is my responsibility to pay any difference.
Your address is needed to identify you as a current UK taxpayer.
Title_________________ First name or initial(s) _______________________ Surname_______________________________________________________ Full Home address _______________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ Postcode ____________ Date______________________________________
Please notify the charity if you:
If you pay Income Tax at the higher or additional rate and want to receive the additional tax relief due to you, you must include all your Gift Aid donations on your Self-Assessment tax return or ask HM Revenue and Customs to adjust your tax code. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
